The Westport Fine Arts Festival seems to be one of the more erratic festivals, sales-wise, in which I've participated.
Two artists whose work I love told me, before this show, that Westport had been their best show ever in terms of sales. By mid-afternoon Sunday, neither had sold anything. One, I believe, ended with a zero show.
The show takes place along a tidal inlet at the edge of a parking lot behind a row of stores on Main Street. There are two distinct areas of the show - at the edge of the parking lot, and on "the Island."
The Island is a second parking lot that's down a short driveway from the main exhibit line. It is shady, but there is little wind there. On a weekend like the one in which this show took place, that meant it was even hotter there than elsewhere. One artist called it the "Island of Hell." However, one of the ones I mentioned earlier had that top sales day on the Island.
Set-up is not difficult in and of itself, though you can't begin to set up until evening (7 p.m., I think) because police have to reroute traffic for the duration of the show. Along the main exhibit line, there is some storage space behind the booths, but no breathing room on either side.
By this time in this very hot summer (July 20-21), people had really had it with the brutal temperatures. The crowds were not what they had been in the past, according to people who had done the show before. And honestly, I couldn't blame people for not coming out. If I hadn't been doing a show, I'd have stayed inside, too. It was cooler on Sunday, and that's really when people showed up and bought.
I had an OK show, selling $1400 at the show, and then selling a $2000 painting over the internet. I sort of count this as part of the show, because the buyer saw it in the booth shot that I posted on my blog the day of the show. The booth fee was $450.
The quality of the work was very, very good - this was another show I felt honored to be included in.
There are lots of kids and dogs at this show. The view across the inlet is really lovely, and I think that counts for something. There's pretty good food, and the organizers provided a coupon for lunch for Saturday (but not Sunday, unless someone missed me). There was a guy miming being a statue (I'll attach a photo), and I found him amusing - but I know some people are a little freaked by stuff like that.
I would definitely do this show again, if I am lucky enough to get in again.
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